The Trees Bass Tab

Hemispheres Tabs:

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H   H   H   H   H   e e e Q   e e e e e e   H   e e e e e e   e e e e e e
+-----+---+---+---+---+---------+-------------+---+---7-6-7-2-4-+---0---------+
|6:-0-|-4-|---|---|-2-|-----0---|-----------0-|---|-0-----------|-4---4-2-0---|
|8:---|---|-4-|-0-|---|---2---0-|-2---2-0-----|-2-|-------------|-----------2-|
+-----+---+---+---+---+-3-------+-------------+---+-------------+-------------+
 
 
  e e H   e e e e e e   e e q e e   e e e Q   e e e e e e   H   H   H   H
+-----6-+-------------+-----9-----+---------+-----------2-+-4-+---+---+---+
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|-4-----|-----4---5---|-7-------7-|---2---0-|-2-4---------|---|---|-0-|-2-|
+-------+-5-7---------+-----------+-3-------+-------------+---+---+---+---+
 
 
     e e e e e e e e     e e e e e e e e    q e e e e e e   q e e e e e e
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  q e e e e e e   q e e e e e e   q e e e e e e   q e e e e e e
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  e e e e e e e e   q e q e e e   q e e e e s s e   q e e e e e e
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+-----------------+-------------+-----------------+---------------+
 
 
  e e e e e e e e   q q e^e^e e^e^e   q q q s s e   e e e e e e e e
+-0---0-----0-----+-----0-----------+-------------+-----------------+
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|-----------------|-------------4-0-|-------------|---4-------------|
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  q e e e e e e   e e e e e e e e   q e e e e e e   q e e e e e e
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|8:-------------|-------------|-----------|-----------|-4---4---4-2-|
+---------------+-------------+-----------+-----------+-------------+
 
 
  e e q e e   q e e e e   e e e e e e   e e e e e e   q e e e e   e e e e e e
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|-------0-2-|-----2-0---|-----0-------|-----0-2-4---|---4-4---4-|-------------|
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|-----------2-|-4-4-4---4---|-0-2-4-------|-7---------7-|---2---0-4-7-|
+-------------+-------------+-------------+-------------+-3-----------+
 
 
  e e  e e e e   e  e e e  e e   e  e e e e e    e e e e q
+--------------+------7-9-11-9-+-7------------+------------+
|------------7-|-9-11----------|---11-9-7-----|------------|
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+-7-9-10-------+---------------+--------------+-10-9-7-5-7-+
 
 
    q e e e e e e e e   q e e e e e e e e   q e e e e e e e e
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|5:-------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
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+-----------------2-3-+---------------2-3-+---------------2-3-+
 
 
  q e e e e e e e e     e e e e e e   e e e e e e    e e e e e e
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+-----------+-----------+-------2---+-2---2---2-+-----------------+
 
 
  q e e e e e e   q e e e e e e   q e e e e e e   q e e e e s s e
+---------------+-0-------0-----+---------------+---------2-2-----+
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+---------------+---------------+---------------+-----------------+
 
 
  q e e e e e e   e e e e e e e e   e s s e s s e  s  s s s e   q e e e e e e
+---------------+-----------------+---9-9---7-7---------------+---------0-----+
|-----------0-2-|-5-0-5-4---7-7-9-|-7-----7-----7-11-11-7-9-7-|-----------4-2-|
|-2-0-2---4-----|-----------------|---------------------------|-0---0---------|
+---------------+-----------------+---------------------------+---------------+
 
 
  e e e e e e e e   q e q e e e   e e e e e e e e    e e e e e e e e
+-----------------+-0-----0-----+-----------------+-------------------+
|-----0-------0-2-|-----4---4-0-|-2-2-0-0---0-----|*-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-*|
|-2-4---4---2-----|-------------|---------4---4-0-|*-----------------*|
+-----------------+-------------+-----------------+-------------------+
 
 
   e e e e e e e e    w
+--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--+---+
|*-----------------*|-0-|
|*-----------------*|---|
+-------------------+---+

Source: http://www.bassmasta.net/r/rush/152924.html

Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture richard Wanna Be	#1 by richard jones at Apr 10, 2006 at 7:13 AM EST
	Samoan’s got it better than most people. But still off a bit from what I think. Specifically, the part he refers to as how death awaits. Before I sat and read the lyrics, the death idea was what I thought. For me, the lines "For they passed a noble law/And the trees are all kept equal/By hatchet, /Axe, /and saw." does not show death as a natural equalizer, as shown by the first line shown (noble law). The only way to make things equal is to cut the best (the oaks here) down to the level of the others. You can only raise people up so far. And yet, this is what is happening in America these days - cutting down the superior via standardized testing, race-specific scholarships/grants (none specific to whites, though) from places like LULAC and NAACP. About the whole song: His sarcastic portrayal of the maples: "the Maples scream `Oppression!` " and the "noble" law, and "And they're quite convinced they're right" as pertaining to the maples, not the oaks. I found that you really need to read the lyrics to get the sarcasm, picking up lyrics from his singing leads one to think he takes the position that most every other popular musician of the time. It really is a refreshing change compared to everyone else on the "maple's" side. Man, that's long.

No Picture Stefano Average	#2 by Stefano Santin at Nov 16, 2006 at 5:31 PM EST
	I'm not sure exactly what this song is about, but I have some ideas: 1) Symbolism of trees in a forest represents the racism between white and black people in North America 2) Symbolism of feminist movements, women want more rights, men feel they should accept there role in society (and they wonder why the maples can't be happy in their shade) Great song, Great lyrics, Great band!!

No Picture Charley Wanna Be	#3 by Charley Dawe at Jan 2, 2007 at 2:42 AM EST
	Wow, you guys are WAY off. Hmm, where to begin? First of all, Dr Rhythm, you have much to learn about Libertarian political ideology. No Libertarian would EVER espouse forced equality among citizens, and certainly not between nations. Libertarian political philosophy is basically centered on the concept of the government staying out of citizens' business economically as well as socially. Other than that, you are almost on task, Neil Peart did believe strongly in Libertarian views, however, the song is about Communism, and a fictional dispute between trees represents the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. The theme of the song is self-determination, something Peart felt very strongly about after reading some of Ayn Rand's work. Many of Rush's songs, especially those written by Peart have anti-communist lyrics; the message is the same in The Trees as well as The Temples of Syrinx, Freewill, and Xanadu.

No Picture PalaNIN Wanna Be	#4 by PalaNIN at Jun 5, 2007 at 11:50 PM EST
	"And the trees are all kept equal By hatchet, Axe, And saw" I think that this is a metaphor for socialism. To my knowledge, Peart is politically liberal (libertarian for Americans).

No Picture Bradon Average	#5 by Bradon at Jun 8, 2007 at 9:43 PM EST
	Surely, it's about the independence of Canada from the British. Canada being the Maples and Britain being the Oaks. I thought this was well known.